protejay

this past saturday was Dday- time to get the pacesetter catback installed.
my pro was dynoed before and after...

the 'before' was a letdown - i was hoping for around 105 whp; it was 96 whp at 6020 rpm, bummer!
but actually when i thought about it; maybe not bad for a 200,000 mile motor with original exhaust and cat, no intake mods, and 5 year old wires and plugs(bosch platinum)
antyways, the pacesetter fit in fairly well
the major problem with it were the flanges, they didn't match up. so the muff man cut them off and welded a sleeve over the connection.
he also had trouble with the studs on my original cat, and (can you believe it!??)it was looking clogged after 10 years; i had him go ahead and weld a new cat in (it is 2.25 in/out and about 2/3 the length of my original)

the 'after'effects: 99whp at a LOWER 5440 rpm;
better, i gained about 4 hp over original stuff @ these rpms: 2870, 4900, 5780, and 6220.
all the way round it was worth it!!
i like the looks, the sound is good although a little `raspy'(as others have mentioned) when pushed, and there's a definite improvement in SOP feel.
in case you're wondering, i don't have a scanner otherwise i would post the chart. also, the printout does not show torque, i have no idea what the diff is there. he doesn't have a Dynojet; the chart layout is a little different from others i've seen.
i also replaced my plugs and wires with DirectHits...don't know yet for how good untill the ecu adjusts

next in this game will be a new clutch, Fidanza flywheel, and UR cam gears...

Maz94Protege

watch out that might rust out on you like some of the other pacesetter owners.


thats what it will look like and will totally rust through in jus 6 months
sry, but pacesetter (as far as ive heard) isnt good quality

protejay

maybe, just maybe, that won't happen as quickly since i don't have winter condition- as in salt - to worry about; if it does, i'll put a better muff
i tried getting a mazdaspeed catback through CorkSport; they ordered it and found out it was discontinued...
i know its a cheapie but nobody else makes one

protejay

NOW you tell me...!!hahahahaha

for refrence, here's what it caaast me:
$185 shipped for the pacesetter from nopi
$205 labor
- that includes 4 dyno runs, the install/welding of the pacesetter AND the new cat(which was $117), and changing out my old plugs and wires
with the new stuff
i could have saved some $$ if i had told him to replace my cat in the beginning- at least 30 minutes was spent trying to save my old cat and its studs before i/we realized it would better/easier to replace it with a new one

jesse, how do you like your new setup and what kind/style of muff are you using??

protejay

NICE LOOKING muff!!
looks like that just might outlast my pacesetter...

my original exhaust had leaks too, as in the pipe was basically totally rusted out at the muffler. the resonator was the only muffler!

maybe thats why i gained 4 HP low in my rpm???

Maz94Protege

Edit what i said:

Yes you dont have winter cond. so ull be fine, Im gunna get a full stainless steel cat-back for $225 with a flowmaster muffler. eheh, if not, i woulda got the pacesetter, cause its all done, id jus put it on myself. and i could change the muffler. so i guess pacesetter is aight.

KonigProtege323

i have a 91 protege DX with 94,000 miles...last year i got a Tsudo DTM muffler and got a muffler shop put in a 2.25 downpipe and a high flow cat...my car is so loud that it sets off alarms down the street and i always have people complement me on it..and i have found that it has made the car have so much power around the 20 mph range....

purplecar

I have 90 with 1.8 sohc. Last summer due to not having alot of money and an exhaust leak, I replaced the stock muffler with a cherry bomb and a stainless 4" tip.. it sounds aggressive and is not too loud unless i get on it hard.. My question is what does the resonator do?? and if i take it out is that a bad thing? I'm adding an XTREMEFLOW hi flow cat and am debating if i can just cut out the resonator while i'm at it..

KonigProtege323

really all a resonator is good for is keeping the car quiet...the muffler shop took mine out...so its almost like a silencer...

MikeD

Resonator helps your car not sound like a tin can. I have a custom catback on my car and am thankful everyday I have a resonator. I think I'd go insane if I didn't. It is afterall a daily driver.

I think the "feels faster at 20mph" probably translates to "sounds faster." You generally will realize a bigger difference in power in a four cylinder on the top end of the rev range with a catback at the expense of power down low.

And by the way Pseudo..I have the exact same muffler design...I wanted to keep relatively stock dual tip look of the LX for my DX so as not to draw tons of PO PO attention for the softBall shooter exhausts. Excellent choice!

GTX140

Alright folks, it's about time for my new set-up. I have 2.25" piping (almost rusted out) with a Dynomax Super Turbo muffler, no resonator. As I've mentioned, it's loud as hell, in fact, it's the loudest 4-banger I've heard.
Anyway, I'm gonna stick with the Dynomax, but I NEED a resonator. Where can I get a good free-flow 2.25" resonator? PLEASE HELP.

Elchulo

I set alarms off around here too There are a couple supras and 3000 Gt's around here along with 2 wrx's and the alot of civics(all done up) and you can denfinalty tell when we are all going to school b/c we set all the alarms off in the morning. People around here never used to think a pro could sound that loud!